From the other side: East Carolina

This week, we look at East Carolina. A big thanks to Stephen Igoe of ECU's 247sports.com site for his help. Follow Stephen on twitter @Stephen_HTC

1. Looking at ECU so far, has their season gone about how you thought it would, or better or worse?

ECU's season has gone just about as expected to this point. The Pirates have beaten the teams they've been favored against and lost to the teams they've been underdogs against (sans Southern Miss). The blowout losses to North Carolina, South Carolina and UCF were a bit worrisome at the time, but seeing how those teams have played the rest of their schedule has eased the concern just a bit. A turnaround from last year's 5-win team was expected with a lot of returning talent, and the tough early schedule was handled pretty well by the Pirates for the most part.

2. How has Shane Carden progressed in his first year as the starting QB?

Carden has definitely come a long way since the beginning of the season. Junior quarterback Rio Johnson actually got the start to begin the season against Appalachian State and South Carolina, but a poor first half in Columbia caused Johnson to find himself on the bench in favor of Carden. Since throwing an interception on his first career passing attempt, Carden has grown tremendously each week as he's gotten more comfortable in the offense. The talent around him is there, and it was just a matter of time before everything started clicking. Last week against Memphis, he put together his best collegiate performance with 308 passing yards and five touchdowns to no interceptions on 25-of-33 passing. Carden is also a dual-threat with a team-best four rushing touchdowns. The sophomore still has a lot to work on, but he's clearly the future for ECU at his position.

3. What are some strengths and weaknesses of the offense?

The first thing that sticks out about the offense is the receiver position. There's depth and talent throughout the receiving corps, and that has helped Carden grow into a solid quarterback. It all starts with Justin Hardy, an inside receiver that has put up incredible numbers the first two seasons of his career. As just a sophomore, he's already starting to break into the ECU record books and he will likely own many career marks by the time he is done. Behind Hardy, 6-8 tight end/inside receiver Justin Jones had a monster game last week with five grabs for 80 yards and three touchdowns. With his size, he's a nightmare match up for any defense. On the outside, the experienced Andrew Bodenheimer, a gritty possession receiver, can always be counted on, while speedy Reese Wiggins can make big plays on the opposite end. The recent running of JUCO transfer Vintavious Cooper has also helped to bolster a previously-weak ECU running game. Cooper is averaging over five yards a carry since taking over the starting job a few weeks ago. A weakness of the offense has been its ability to protect Carden. Despite four returning starters along the offensive line, opposing teams' blitz schemes and the lack of help from ECU's backs in pass protection has caused Carden to get sacked 18 times in seven contests.

4. What are some strengths and weaknesses of the defense?

The obvious strength of the Pirates' defense is the depth in the front seven. Even with a few injuries, East Carolina remains 2-3 deep across the board in its 3-4 defensive front. The front line and linebacking corps has been great against the run all season, holding elite running backs such as South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore and North Carolina's Giovani Bernard well below their season averages on the ground, and ranking 41st in the country in overall rush defense heading into this Saturday. As for the defense's weakness, it's clearly the pass defense. ECU is giving up over 260 yards through the air per contest, good for 92nd in all of college football in passing yards per game allowed. Everyone knew replacing three starters from last year's defensive backfield wouldn't be easy, and it's been evident through the first seven games.

5. Are there any key players who may miss this game?

There are a few key players that are sitting out this game. Defensive end Justin Dixon, who was a probable starter entering the season, is out for the season after tearing his ACL against South Carolina. Outside linebacker Montese Overton, a freshman that has earned C-USA Player-of-the-Week honors and started a few games earlier in the year, is out this game after hurting his knee against Memphis. Backup running back Reggie Bullock is doubtful with a concussion. And starting center Taylor Hudson was banged up earlier this week and questionable for UAB.

6. How do you see the game going?

ECU and UAB always seem to have unpredictable games, especially when the two get together in Birmingham. Even though the Pirates have won the last five games in the series and UAB is just 1-5 overall, I expect this game to be nothing less than a dogfight. The Blazers are better than their record and the Pirates can't afford to take them lightly. ECU's shoddy pass defense should allow UAB to move the ball with its strength - the passing game - if it can protect Austin Brown from a strong front seven. Either way, I expect it to be a high-scoring contest that could go either way. I'll say ECU just wins a close one, 34-27